upgrade
Americannoun
-
upgrades
plural
-
an incline going up in the direction of movement.
-
an increase or improvement.
an upgrade in the year's profit forecast.
-
a new version, improved model, etc..
The company is offering an upgrade of its sports sedan.
-
an increase or improvement in one's service, accommodations, privileges, or the like.
If the ship isn't full we'll receive an upgrade to a deluxe stateroom.
-
something, as a piece of equipment, that serves to improve or enhance.
a full range of upgrades available for your computer.
adjective
adverb
verb (used with object)
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upgrades,
present (3rd person singular)
-
upgraded,
past participle, past
-
upgrading
present participle
-
to promote to a higher grade or rank.
He has been upgraded to senior vice president.
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to improve or enhance the quality or value of.
to upgrade property by landscaping it.
verb (used without object)
-
upgrades,
present (3rd person singular)
-
upgraded,
past participle, past
-
upgrading
present participle
verb
-
to assign or promote (a person or job) to a higher professional rank or position
-
to raise in value, importance, esteem, etc
-
to improve (a breed of livestock) by crossing with a better strain
noun
-
an upward slope
-
improving or progressing, as in importance, status, health, etc
adjective
adverb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
upgradesimple
-
upgradessimple
-
have upgradedperfect
-
has upgradedperfect
-
am upgradingprogressive
-
are upgradingprogressive
-
is upgradingprogressive
-
have been upgradingperfect progressive
-
has been upgradingperfect progressive
Past
-
upgradedsimple
-
had upgradedperfect
-
was upgradingprogressive
-
were upgradingprogressive
-
had been upgradingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of upgrade
Explanation
To upgrade is to make improvements to something or exchange it for a better version. Some people upgrade their phone every time a new model comes out, while others prudently wait to see which new features they really need. Upgrade is also a noun: "I was lucky enough to get an upgrade to the first-class section of the plane!" Whether a noun or a verb, this word commonly used to refer to electronic equipment, particularly computers and smartphones. If a company upgrades the network in their offices, they purchase new computers or improve internet connection speeds. The original meaning of the noun upgrade was "sloping up," as in a steep hill.
Vocabulary lists containing upgrade
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 14–August 20, 2021
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for December 1–December 7, 2024
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Vocabulary from Readings 2, Unit 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Whereas in the past companies and consumers could be relied upon to upgrade regularly, high prices will likely mean they keep old devices longer and only refresh when they absolutely must.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
It’s a luxury hotel, expensive meals and a last-minute upgrade because, “why not?”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
It’s very hard for us to deal with, and we’re spending a ton of money to upgrade systems, to fight the fires, or even to deal with the aftermath of these things.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
"That's why we are tripling investment over the next five years to halve spills from storm overflows and upgrade the capacity of 1,700 wastewater treatment works," a spokesperson said.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
His mom was going to upgrade to Mr. Lemoncello’s Restaurant Rush.
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
It upgrades the stock to buy from neutral, and raises its target to 16.00 Australian dollars a share from A$15.20.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Experts who spoke to The Wall Street Journal attributed much of the Houthis’ technological upgrades to Chinese goods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Apple is also rolling out its latest Apple Intelligence updates through its iOS 27 and Mac OS 27 upgrades.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
State parks officials said in a release that the improvement project includes installation of new gas, water, wastewater and communication lines, along with accessibility upgrades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
“Unless the upgrades let him respond to voice commands. But if he’s permanently activated, that means the navigation system and the crystal...”
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
As for cast member Jane Wickline, who’s been described as “polarizing” but was also upgraded to repertory, we’re rooting for her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
The agency also upgraded the UK's growth outlook for 2026, from an expected 0.9% to 1.1% for the year.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Anmuth upgraded his rating on the stock to overweight earlier this month after the launch of Muse.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Ballmer upgraded the roster, the facilities, and built a state-of-the-art arena.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
He has finally upgraded from a hint to a crew obligation: he wants to abort the landing.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
Given the years-long time frames needed for construction projects, the district facilities team doesn’t want to delay upgrading facilities that students would immediately benefit from.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
That’s partly because writing code is different from maintaining and upgrading established systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
NG Homes was in the process of refurbishing and upgrading a number of buildings on the street.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
HPE CFO Marie Myers told MarketWatch that customers are both upgrading data centers to meet new workload demands and moving to adopt AI in enterprise settings.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
In 1953, Evelyn had become set on upgrading her four- year certificate in general nursing.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
